Black Britain Unspoken

Applications for the Black Britain Unspoken 2024 have now closed.

Through Black Britain Unspoken, three filmmakers will be selected and supported to produce a short-form documentary (max. 5-6 mins), which may go on to air on discovery+ during Black History Month (October 2024).

All submissions will be looked at by an appointed panel and a shortlist of 10 will be invited to a pitch day at Warner Bros. Discovery’s London offices. Three projects will be greenlit and provided with a production budget of up to £15,000 as well as production management support and editorial guidance from Warner Bros. Discovery Commissioning team and Wall to Wall Productions. Alongside this, each filmmaker will benefit from a bespoke professional development curriculum delivered by Media Trust and one-to-one mentoring through our partners’ Bounce Cinema.

Last year’s film pitches explored narratives highlighting moments of joy, celebratory occasions, and even the expressive nature of fashion within the context of the Black community. This year we want to continue to look for unique stories that shine a new lens on the Black British experience.

BBU forms part of the Warner Bros. Discovery Access, a creative talent development programme that champions underrepresented voices.

All three of last year’s short films are now available for streaming on the DiscoveryUK YouTube.

To be eligible for the project, the filmmakers have to:

• Identify as Black (or of Black Heritage) and British
• Be aged 18 or older
• Have the right to work in the UK
• Have no more than three broadcast credits as a director or writer [credits on shorts or other work that have not been broadcast on televisual platforms are permitted]
• Not have written or directed a feature length film or documentary
• Have some prior experience working on a film or some form of visual media (e.g. student film, short film, music video, television etc.)
• Be available to take part in the programme schedule which is detailed below

Find out more on the Warner Bros. Discovery Access site.

Full terms and conditions can be read here.

If you’d like to know more about Black Britain Unspoken you can contact access.international@wbd.com  or daisyc@mediatrust.org 

If you’re a broadcaster, production company or corporate partner, and wondering how to get involved with initiatives like this, you can email louised@mediatrust.org

Applications closed on Monday 8 April at 11.59pm

Black Britain Unspoken 2022/23 

In 2023 and 2022 Warner Bros Discovery Access and Media Trust collaborated to invite Black British storytellers, filmmakers and creatives to apply and pitch their film concepts to the Black Britain Unspoken commissioning panel with the chance to produce and release a short unscripted film on discovery+ during October’s Black History Month.

During the second year of the programme Media Trust developed and delivered a continuing professional development training programme to run alongside the production, including topics such as Nailing your Pitch, Interview Techniques, Ethics + Objectivity and Impact Strategy.

100% of the filmmakers said that Media Trust’s training improved their understanding of their own directorial voice.